[ laughter ] good evening on this friday night. diane is spending this holiday weekend with her family. we begin with the 11th-hour, high-stakes meeting at the white house late today to avoid the fiscal cliff. but no deal, as anger builds across the country, the clock is ticking. just four days left before taxes go up for all americans and federal programs see major cuts. we've shown you the math here. the average american household would see their tax bill go up nearly $3,500. this evening, president obama telling congress, the american people are watching what we're doing here. he appeared in the briefing room a short time ago. let's go right to jon carl tonight. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, david. there are finally signs of life here in washington.

after meeting with congressional leaders here at the white house, the president pronounced himself modestly optimistic that a bipartisan agreement can finally be struck that would prevent taxes from going up on virtually everybody in just four days. after meeting with the congressional leaders, the president said there would be one more effort to come to a bipartisan agreement to avoid the fiscal cliff. >> the hour for immediate action is here. it is now. and the american people are not going to have any patience for a politically, self-inflicted wound to our economy. >> reporter: there are signs of progress. mitch mcconnell and harry reid have agreed to spend the next 24 hours trying to come to a bipartisan agreement on a smaller fallback plan to keep at least some taxes from going up. after the meeting, house democrat leader nancy pelosi told us she's at least a little encouraged. >> it was constructive. as i say, candor is constructive, and i think it

moved us forward, but we'll see. >> reporter: it was the first meeting with the president and all the congressional leaders in six weeks. it follows an impasse that has shaken wall street, the dow down more than 400 points since talks stalled last week. and on main street, business owners like drew greenblatt, who owns a wire basket manufacturing company in baltimore, say the coming fiscal cliff is already causing pain because they just don't know what will happen to their taxes. >> right now we're doing our budget. we're deciding how many people we're hiring next year. we're figuring out how many robots and machines we'll invest in our factories. >> reporter: and across the country all the political bickering had people outraged with washington. >> i can't believe we've gotten this close. >> time for them to turn in their term paper. >> this is america. they should be working for the american people. >> the parties are trying to outdo each other. >> sit down, don't come out of the room until you have this thing taken care of. >> reporter: the next 24 hours

will tell us whether or not this will be successful. harry reid, the top democrat in the senate, and mitch mcconnell, the top republican, are going to be working together to try to come to some bipartisan agreement. then on sunday what will happen, they'll try to present that agreement to the rank and file members of the senate and then onto the house to see if it can pass. it won't be easy and even if they can pull this off, it will be what the president called the bare minimum, extending the tax cuts, but leaving some of the tough issues, especially spending cuts, until early next year. david? >> our chief white house correspondent leading us off. jon, thank you. we'll turn to the second major winter storm in a week. the system is already moving through the south, tracking up to the northeast. in arkansas tonight, tens of thousands are still without power after the christmas day blizzard that dumped 15 inches on that state alone. this evening, the new storm could make holiday travel a nightmare. in some major cities. let's bring back in harvey

leonard who was with us last night here. great to have you back. where's the system headed? >> good to be with you too. i got to tell you. the storm's pulling out of the gulf, spreading snow from southern missouri, it will go through illinois, indiana, ohio, and pennsylvania tonight. then tomorrow, it will spread through the major cities of the northeast. as it continues to move, the heaviest snow will be moving from new york into new england. slides off the coast late tomorrow night, done by sunday morning. >> it's a one-two punch for the millions of americans planning to travel this weekend? >> absolutely. and a lot of snow is falling on places that already had snow. across the midwest, three to six inches of snow. washington may have rain mixed in, so just slush. philadelphia, one to three. new york city, two to four. boston and providence, three to six or a little more and heavy and wet, which really will make travel saturday afternoon and night very difficult. >> harvey, thank you.

we'll turn now to a late development. after that horrific case from upstate new york, those firemen called to knock down that blaze and then trapped in gunfire on christmas eve. the suspect killing himself and then to now, an arrest, a woman in custody. we ask tonight, what's her connection? here's abc's ron clane orn. >> reporter: police say 24-year-old dawn nguyen supplied the guns used to ambush four firefighters on christmas eve, killing two of them. >> when nguyen bought the guns and said she was going to be the owner, she lied. >> reporter: authorities say she bought the guns for her neighbor, william spengler, back in 2010. that he even went to the gun store with her to pick them out. spengler, a convicted felon, could not legally purchase a firearm himself. she told police she bought the guns for her own protection and they had recently been stolen. what's not in dispute, spengler used those guns monday night, a 12-gauge shotgun and a

bushmaster semiautomatic rifle while they were responding to a blaze he had set. >> firemen mike chiapperini was deceased at the scene. >> reporter: also killed, tomas kaczowka. spengler took his own life. tonight dawn nguyen is facing 10 years in prison for her alleged role in this tragedy. earlier this week, the children of webster, new york, lit candles to honor those firefighters who died. today's arrest shows how seriously law enforcement is about going after anyone in trying to prosecute them, who are connected with this terrible crime, even though, david, the shooter himself is dead. >> such a horrific plot. ron, thanks to you. with millions of americans on vacation this holiday, an unwelcome headline for hundreds of apparentlies on -- passengers on two separate cruise ships. their holiday trips turned into a nightmare when many of them became very sick. matt gutman is in miami. >> reporter: it advertises comfort, luxury, and fine dining.

>> now sailing on the grandest ocean liner ever, the "queen mary 2." >> reporter: but now the colossal ocean liner is one of three cruises just this week to be rocked by mass outbreaks of the stomach flu. 194 "queen mary" passengers reported contracting the bug, believed to be the highly contagious norovirus. >> it can even resist most of the disinfectants that are normally used to clean environmental surfaces. >> reporter: so you can just touch something like this and put it to your mouth and get the virus? >> right. >> reporter: there's no treatment for the bug. >> some passengers on the "queen mary" suggested they steer clear of the buffet. tonight the cdc is investigating why nearly 200 people were stricken on another ship, the "emerald princess," docked in ft. lauderdale yesterday. one of those passengers was sue hayes, who posted on facebook -- the staff can't keep up with what they have to do for those who are sick. 16 ships reported stomach flu outbreaks this year. crusie lines point out only a tiny fraction of their passengers are affected. small comfort for those sick passengers on the high seas. matt gutman, abc news, miami.

>> a horrible vacation for so many. our thanks to matt tonight. it was last night here on the air that we learned of a loss. the death of general norman schwarzkopf. tonight the story behind the name, that it turns out, he didn't like. he was a four star general after his tough talk and the action that followed. his troops battling rocky forces from kuwait in 100 hours of the first gulf war. it turns out, the general known for his swift victories, didn't like that nickname, preferring the one his troops called him, the bear. while he was tough, he had a gentle side, honest and candid in this moment with barbara walters. >> were you ever scared? >> sure. i've been scared in every war i've ever been in. >> if you could meet saddam hussein, what would you ask him or say to him? >> get out of town. >> a west point grad and

decorated officer for his time in vietnam, he spent his entire life in the army. when saddam hussein invaded kuwait in 1990, stormin' norman became a household name. >> as far as saddam hussein being a great military strategist, he is neither a strategist, nor is he schooled in the operational art, nor is he a tactician, nor is he a general, nor is he as a soldier. other than that, he's a great military man, i want you to know that. [ laughter ] >> he returned from the persian gulf a national hero to a victory parade in new york. >> it doesn't take a hero to order men into battle. it takes a hero to be one of the men who goes into battle. and those are the people who are heroes. those are the people that should receive the adulation. >> profound words. he was awarded the medal of freedom for service to his country. though quoted by both political parties, he resisted politics and devoted his time in his latter years to children's charities. this is a deeply religious time for so many americans, many marking hanukkah and now

christmas. our global affairs anchor, christiane amanpour on a journey. using the old testament at her -- as her travel guide. here now a preview of her special tonight, just one of her discoveries in jerusalem. >> reporter: the truth behind so many of these biblical stories that took place here remains so captivatingly elusive. in part because so many answers may be buried underneath what today is a living, breathing city. discovered by accident in the 19th century when an archaeologist was walking his dog, this massive network of caves and tunnels is known as solomon's quarries. >> king solomon is the founding father. >> reporter: it's not a theory shared by archeologists though reminders of solomon, his temple and his destruction seem to seep from these walls. many believe these underground tunnels were used to secretly transport the ark of the covenant out of jerusalem. >> are people trying to be

detectives, are they trying to uncover something? >> well, some people want to find the ark of the covenant. i don't know if somebody will find it. >> our christiane amanpour. it was an extraordinary journey last week, and tonight what christiane continued to discover on her journey back to the beginning, part two, tonight at 9:00/8:00 central right here on abc. still much more ahead on "world news" on a friday night, the college student allegedly spied on by her mom and dad. she takes legal action, and tonight she's won. years ago, my doctor told me

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wanted or in the choir, she would start harassing teachers. >> reporter: her parents had surveillance software installed on her computer and phone. according to court documents, would show up unannounced to check on her. so she filed for a restraining order and won. >> i just wanted to be my own person and to finally figure out who i was, and not what they wanted me to be. >> reporter: dave and julie ireland could not be reached for comment. but in court documents, her father claims his daughter is lying and is mentally ill. >> they may be trying to call for help, for someone to pay attention to something that otherwise we may overlook. >> reporter: but the court sided with aubrey ireland. the parents reportedly now want the college tuition they paid for returned. their daughter says, all she wants is her life back. cecilia vega, abc news, los angeles. >> our thanks to cecilia. when we come back, the instant index. and while millions watched her

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is geared specifically to current and former military members and their families. [ laughs ] dad! dad! [ applause ] ♪ [ male announcer ] life brings obstacles. usaa brings advice. call or visit us online. we're ready to help. starts with arthritis pain and a choice. take tylenol or take aleve, the #1 recommended pain reliever by orthopedic doctors. just two aleve can keep pain away all day. back to the news. we're going to turn now to the instant index here on a friday night, what's trending for the weekend.

and the person tonight, marilyn monroe, 50 years after her death, new classified files just released reveal the fbi believe marilyn and her one time husband, arthur miller, were communists. what we didn't know, they were watching her close circle of friends and her trips to mexico. they believed she was meeting with communists there. >> to our quote tonight, visit your parents, that's an order, now the law in china. if you don't visit your aging parents, you face a fine in china. the law is meant to give neglected parents grounds to take their grown children to court. china is facing a huge hurdle in caring for its aging population. high in the sky over times square, 288, that's how many tiles were installed on the waterford crystal ball. one of of the tiles, dedicated to dick clark, this year's celebration will pay tribute to the man who got the party started, first began hosting from times square in 1974. when we come back, we remember dick clark and so many american greats, americans who soared to amazing heights, others who gave us a "last dance," after a

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so for a great vacation this year, come to the gulf. its all fabulous but i give florida the edge. right after mississippi. you mean alabama. say louisiana or there's no dessert. this invitation is brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. anyone have occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating? yeah. one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. approved! [ female announcer ] live the regular life. phillips'. finally tonight, here on this friday evening, typically the night we name our person of the week, but as this year winds to a close, we thought we'd look

back at the people we lost this year and the extraordinary gifts they left behind. ♪ at last ♪ my love has come along ♪ moon river >> i'm just a fat little man, a fat ugly man. >> you're not ugly. >> i'm ugly, i'm ugly, i'm ugly! ma, leave me alone! >> this guy doesn't do anything out in the open. he's a fake businessman. this is goldilocks, can i speak to papa bear? [ whistling andy griffith theme ]

♪ >> she doesn't want to marry me. like another drink? ♪ ♪ memories like the corners of my mind ♪ ♪ hey we're the monkees and people say we monkey around ♪ by we're too busy singing ♪ >> everything you do, do it cool. now stand back. ♪ moving on up to the east side ♪ to a deluxe apartment >> i used to work as a lamp shade in las vegas. [ laughter ] >> you're a drunk and an unfit mother. the sooner we have you put away in that sanitarium, the better

off you're going to be. >> hello and welcome aboard, right on time for another groovy ride on the soul train. ♪ staying alive ♪ let's dance the last dance tonight ♪ ♪ and i ♪ will always love you >> if you had to name the devil for you, the biggest devil among them. >> the biggest devil is me. i'm my best friend and my worst enemy. ♪ i will always love you >> i did some very good books, pictures, that is the only true happiness i've ever, ever enjoyed in my life. >> peace, not war. >> truth, candor. ♪ >> as americans, let us never, ever forget that our freedom on

-- it -- is only sustained because our people are willing to fight for it. >> i'm mike wallace. >> i'm mike wallace. >> am i asking a tough question or a difficult question? nothing wrong with it, because you're in search of the truth, you hope. ♪ >> your name is john. >> yes, sir, boss. like to drink. >> welcome, you've got mail. >> keeping yourself fresh is a difficult thing, and finding things that are hard for you is something that you have to do or elts else you just repeat yourself. >> lift-off, america's first woman astronaut. ♪ >> that's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. ♪

>> it's time for america's favorite dance party, american bandstand. >> dick clark coming to you live from times square in new york city. ♪ >> so long. >> so long. >> for now, dick clark, so long. ♪ >> we'll all be remembering dick clark as we ring in the new year next week. that is the broadcast for friday night. i'll see you here this weekend. from diane sawyer and all of us here at abc, have a good evening. goodnight. tonight the upside of wet weather, reservoirs set a high water mark. >> we're in the sierra tonight. more storm watch coverage. what you can expect if new year's plan include a ski trip.

>> damage from severe weather on the coast. there is still clean frup a rare california tornado. >> and abc 7 news i team reveals why the edd will not answer your phone calls. >> and sky 7 hd is live now over the coast guard station. two people are safe tonight after being rescued from the bay about a half houring ayocht they were in water on the north side of the golden gate bridge. >> the two people are reported condition in spite of the frigid waters. no word yet on how they ended up in the water. the coast guard only saying they're an adult and child and being attended to at the scene. good evening, i'm cheryl jennings. >> and i'm dan ashley. tonight you can see something that hasn't happened 30 years.

not this early in the season, anyway. marin county reservoirs overflowing with rain water. cornell bernard reports now from the bon tempe reservoir, one of several spilling over tonight. cornell? >> you know, dan, no one can remember this much water in december, behind me, bon, tempe dam is overflowing tonight. and every reservoir in marin is 100% full. water is shooting down this spillway. the lake is full, overflowing. so is bon tempe dam. rushing water cascading over the top into alpine lake, below. >> it's just so full. last time was probably last year at this point this, is not water but way out. >> it's beautiful especially if you're in water business. >> all reservoir